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Penna Respirator
|name-long = Respiratore modello 28 Penna|previous = SBR|manufacturer = Pirelli|country-used = 1928 1933 1936|filter = Flat Penna filter M.31 (unusual) M.33 T.35 filter (very unusual)|issued = |weight = 1933 Penna variant (facepiece+connector piece; size 2) 446 g|flow = (without any filter) 40 L / minute|thread = ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ only in rare conversions, |period = 1928 - Second World War}}The Penna respirator sometimes referred to just as Penna mask, was the first domestic design gas mask adopted by the Italian Army after the Great War, succeeding the English SBR. The mask was named after Lorenzo Penna, the Generale del Genio (military engineering general) who founded the S.C.M. (Servizio Chimico Militare, chemical military service). Mask overview The Penna mask's facepiece was made of a two layers rubber, green and textured on the outside and beige on the inside. The head harness had six straps. The "Triplex" eyepieces were made of three layers, two glass ones and a cellulose one that tended to become orange over time. Inside the mask there was an internal divider made of rubber and synthetic sponge, which separated the facepiece in two parts, reducing dead space and helping to prevent fogging while wearing the mask. To even further prevent fogging, anti-fogging lenses could be put using eye clips. The intake-outtake piece was connected to the mask at the bottom and tended not to point straight forward but to bend to one side because of the soft rubber; it was a pipe with three holes: one for the hose, one for the connection to the mask and the third was for the exhale valve, an aluminium disc with two complementary thin rubber discs kept still by a lid and sealed with a rubber ring; inside there was an inhale valve to allow longer duration of the filter. The filter itself was attached through a pleated hose to the aforementioned piece and itself was stored in its bag. Imagepp.jpg|Penna gas mask with 40 mm conversion for terrestrial navy units (note the end of the hose) 3-0.JPG|Penna's 6-point head harness 3-wsgfsg.JPG|Penna's inside (it's slightly bent) Imagep.jpg|1933 Penna respirator with M33 filter 78955136075831.jpg|Penna mask from the top 78955136096469.jpg|1933 Penna respirator marking 053I01D11.JPG|Penna's intake-outtake piece disassembled 053I01D5.JPG|Penna mask's inside. Note the cut pieces that used to be attached to the 6-points head harness Filter The original Penna mask was provided with a large box filter coloured green. This filter is often referred to as "Piatto", which means flat, as it's the only Italian military filter to not be round. During later use and especially after 1933, the mask was connected to an M.33 filter or more rarely an M.31 filter. 23er2vergfsergsrdh.jpg|M33 filter awerfgtergsrd hgrftg rfg.jpg|M33 filter from the top awerftergtfer3242342.jpg|M33 filter from the bottom it-029.jpg|1933 Penna respirator with the original Penna filter 60746000_747913945624020_2431016644189880320_n.jpg|An original Penna filter attached to an M31 asdaggg.jpg|Original Penna filter Kit The mask came in a satchel made usually of green and rarely of brown cloth: it had two sections, one for the mask and the other for the filter and hose. The filter section had holes to allow airflow. Inside the side pocket, there were a pair of anti-fogging lenses, specifically made for this mask. The main strap had a special buckle to be shortened when the mask was in use; the small string on the side of the satchel helped to keep the aforementioned firmly onto the wearer's chest. 24131516 1363111043817619 2743260265092285925 n.jpg|Penna anti-fogging lenses aasdasd - Copia.jpg|A modified Penna with the flat filter 053I01.jpg|1933 Penna respirator kit Idgfghfhfhfdghdfghdfgblorenge.jpg|Penna satchels 053I01D17.JPG|Penna satchel 053I01D13.JPG|Penna satchel from the bottom 053I01D15.JPG|Penna satchel from the inside aggdccghgjkykyk.jpg|Marking on the original bag Service life Adoption During the late '20s, the Italian Army was seeking renovation in its chemical protection equipment. Since the end of the war, in fact, the Army was still using Small Box Respirators, which were considered outdated by every standard after the second half of the '20s. Because of that push, the army adopted the Penna respirator in 1928, naming it after the deceased general Lorenzo Penna. It resembled the SBR functionally but had a very different construction. This mask was made integrally of rubber, which was something quite uncommon at the time, it had Triplex glasses and an internal divider, a feature that was almost unseen in military masks at the time. Problems and replacement Even though this mask had very innovative features, it had some problems in its design, which are in order of decreasing severity: * The soft rubber made the intake-outtake piece wobble too much, restraining airflow and encumbering respiration * The intake and exhale valves were not as easily replaceable as deemed necessary, and the same goes for the eyepieces and straps, both of which required special tooling to be replaced * The filter plug system wasn't practical and the plugs could be easily lost. Because of these reasons, the Army adopted the M.31 in 1931, which fixed these problems and others too. The Penna, therefore, started slowly being ruled out of service. The 1933 upgrade In 1933 the Penna respirators were upgraded with a new 5-points elastic head harness, which would become standard in Italian military masks. To switch to the new set-up, the masks were deprived of the old harness by ungluing the 4 lower straps and by cutting the rubber where the two upper straps were held. This process was executed to almost all masks, making Penna respirators with the original setup extremely rare. The main use to the newly upgraded Penna respirators was to train soldiers in the use of gas masks, and they were issued with their old bag and an M.33 filter. On rare cases, Penna masks were used for second-line duties, like terrestrial navy units, and in even rarer cases they were used by Italian soldiers or native rebels during the Spanish civil war. Gallery 10302643_10203594878547248_4776991176040681569_n.jpg|Colorized photo of soldiers posing with 1933 Penna masks Marioz.jpg|Soldiers showing captured Italian gas masks during the Spanish civil war. The first gas mask on the right is a Penna with an M33 kit Ezgif-1-df3e0513dd3b.jpg|Gas masks shown in a 1937 newspaper. The first mask on the left is a Penna with an M33 filter Penna..jpg|Italian soldiers wearing Penna respirators. Note the original Penna filters Izzo-Guerra-Chimica-e-Protezione-Antigas-_57 - Copia (2).jpg|A soldier wearing an M30 chemical suit and a Penna to protect himself against blister agents Pennaboi.jpg|Penna being used with a chemical suit 56686750_2275172546037325_8350530636724830208_n.jpg|Soldiers training with M30 chemical suits and a Penna masks to protect themselves against blister agents. Although their setup is serious, their static pose unveils the nature of this picture gettyimages-910938866-1024x1024.jpg|Penna respirator being used by athletes for propaganda reason. The diminished airflow didn't help in jumping that obstacle gettyimages-947837938-1024x1024.jpg|Penna respirator being used during training. Note the Fiat-Revelli 1914 machinegun, an outdated design used only for the aforementioned purpose gettyimages-933497382-1024x1024.jpg|Penna respirator being used during training Penna.jpg|Penna mask photo taken from "Guerra chimica e difesa antigas" (Chemical warfare and gas defence), by Attilio Izzo, 1931 Penna1.jpg|Penna mask in a reference book 806 001.jpg|Penna mask in a reference book 1942fhdfgjhfgjfghjg.jpg|Penna in use by the UNPA, 1942 Monumento-678x381.jpg|Detail from the monument dedicated to Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, erected in Torino, 1937. The mask seen is an updated Penna respirator dhfgjkg.jpg|Italian soldiers with unmodified Penna respirators External links * A video of the 1933 Penna respirator in use during training * A video of a training with 1933 Pennas and a 6-straps Penna being thorned apart for explanatory purposes (from 05:44 on) Category:Italy Category:Military Gas Masks Category:Full Face Masks Category:World War II Era Mask Category:Spain Category:Interwar Era Mask